USA: Washington State Penitentiary releases official count of inmates on hunger strike

An official count from the Washington State Penitentiary Thursday afternoon reports more than half the prison’s population is participating in a hunger strike, and officials today confirmed the protest continues.

About 1,315 inmates in six housing units at the facility were refusing their meals as of yesterday, said penitentiary spokeswoman Allison Window. The hunger strike began on Easter Sunday, when prisoners in the West Complex units did not leave their cells for their noon meal.

According to the Department of Corrections, the Penitentiary has a capacity of 2,439 inmates, all adult males.

Prisoners involved in the strike are protesting the quality of the food, which consists of meals made at food-processing centers at facilities in Spokane and Connell run by Correctional Industries, a division of the state Department of Corrections.

The hunger strike involves two medium-security units and four close-custody units. Minimum-security prisoners in the Penitentiary’s East Complex and inmates who are elderly or infirm continue to eat as scheduled, prison officials said.

Penitentiary and Correctional Industries staff continue to meet with inmates to discuss food service and other issues, Window said today. The facility has slowed down operations but has not restricted movement or locked down any units.

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